Technical Difficulties
by StakeTheHeart
Summary: One broken laptop, one frustrated Jade, and an ever understanding Tori to do what she can to remedy the situation. Even if it can't be fixed, she'll always be there to make sure Jade doesn't get too upset. One Shot


**This is basically what happened to me and the reason why I've been so quiet. I could bore you with the whole story but I'll just cut to the chase. My laptop took a crap on me, I tried to get it fixed, it didn't work, and I waited all that time to get it back only to have to buy a whole new computer and transfer the data in the end. Yeah, I was irritated, but what can you do, you know? Anyway, this is a better retelling since it has Jori. Enjoy!**

* * *

I sat back with a sigh and wondered what movie I would watch next when Jade stomped into the room. I looked over at her with a concerned tilt of my head.

"What's up?" I asked her. She growled and plopped her computer on the bed next to me. I stared at the blank screen.

"It went black again," she explained with an impatient wave at the dormant technology between us.

"You mean it went to sleep? It's normal for that to happen-" I tried to explain but she just shook her head.

"No, I know that. I'm not stupid. I mean the screen blacked out again. It turned off and it's not coming back on," she further elucidated.

"What?" I questioned, sitting up to better see the screen and tapped a few buttons. Like she said it didn't respond but it was clearly on and running.

"Did you try turning it off and then back on?" I questioned. She did as I suggested and the screen came on, prompting that it hadn't been turned off correctly.

"There, problem solved," I told her, pecking her on the cheek and then leaving to find another movie to watch. Jade went back to her study and sat down to work while I watched movies. She worked late into the night and then joined me in bed when she had had enough. I pulled her close to me, knowing she would want to cuddle during the night, and then went back to watching the last of the movie I had put in. I followed her into sleep as soon as it was over.

...

Apparently the computer didn't want to turn on again. Jade and I spent the better half of an hour trying to coax the screen back to life. Right when I was about to call it a lost cause it came on.

"Yes! Scoot over Vega I have to start saving all our files!" Jade exclaimed. She fell into a seat at the table and then vehemently began saving all her important documents, pictures, and music, plus anything else she didn't want to lose.

"How come you haven't bought an external hard drive and backed it all up this whole time?" I asked her curiously. She found time to shoot me a glare before turning her beautiful eyes back to the screen.

"Because, I never found time to," she hurriedly answered. I smirked and poked her shoulder.

"Is that another way of saying you kept putting it off and then completely forgot?" I teased. She snapped at my prodding finger but said nothing. Her scowl deepened and that was all the answer I needed. I left her to her frantic saving and got ready for work. When I came home Jade hadn't moved. The only sign she had were some dishes around her and the computer hooked up to the charger which she had to get from our room.

"You're coming to bed on time today right?" I questioned her.

"Yeah," she replied distractedly.

"Ok then. Did you eat recently?" I asked next.

"Mhm," she said with a slight nod.

"Did you get it all?" I ventured once more after walking over, setting aside my bag, and leaning over her shoulder to get a look at what she was doing.

"Yeah, I basically got it all. The music files are taking forever though so I'm not sure I'll be able to save them all. The pictures took long enough as it is. To top it off I couldn't even leave the computer on its own to download because when it sleeps the damn thing doesn't wake back up!" she explained.

"How did you-" I began to wonder but she cut me off.

"Two hours of begging, that's how! And you know I don't beg!" Jade almost screamed. I sighed and began rubbing her tense shoulders.

"So once you get everything you can come to bed Jade. You need to relax. You have that interview tomorrow remember?" I reminded her.

"Yeah, yeah, I'll be there soon. I'm just making sure I have it all," she responded.

"Ok," I replied, leaning down to kiss her quickly and then wandered off to our room to get in more comfortable clothes before grabbing a snack and then heading to bed. I couldn't sleep without Jade there so I ended up waiting for her two hours later. By that time she finally dragged herself to bed. I held her close and finally fell asleep.

...

I took a break and sat back to relax when an incoming call from Jade alerted me. I knew it had to be about the laptop because recently that's all she was concerned with. Even during her interview I could tell she was slightly fidgety and during the breaks she would run over to download more stuff or appoint me as babysitter so that the computer wouldn't sleep itself into a coma again. I answered her latest call and ended up spending my whole break listening to Jade plan what she would do to fix the computer. She told me that it had turned on once more this morning and then completely died by noon. Whatever she had missed was tough luck but she was sure she got it all.

"I know this guy who can fix it for a good price. I'll just take it to him. He moved further out though so it'll be a long drive but I think it's worth it. I'll be home a little late," she told me.

"Ok. Stay safe and call me with any news," I responded.

"Will do," she replied and then hung up. I groaned and looked down at my half eaten sandwich I hadn't been able to eat due to constantly giving my opinion when Jade asked. I wrapped it up and set it aside then stood to get back to work. An album can't write itself. Jade sounded so confident that this was just a hiccup and that she could get the computer fixed in time for the deadline she had. I comforted myself with that and carried on with my day.

...

It's been a week since Jade sent her laptop to be fixed. She's a little miffed but nothing I can't handle. She's been angrier before. The guy found the problem and explained that it was a part of the computer in charge of turning on the monitor during the set up process. He told Jade he could fix it and her fury visibly calmed. She seemed happier now that she had gotten that news. We spent as much time as we could together and Jade's lack of computer work gave her nothing to do which made her uncharacteristically talkative so that she would actively seek me out. It was nice to see her open up and socialize. We went out together and any free time we had at home was spent laying together watching our favorite shows and movies either before or after a good workout involving our bed and an over active Jade. It was great and something I think Jade needed, to temporarily disconnect her from her constant work.

...

The next week Jade called the computer guy back and was told that the reason it was taking so long was due to the part being shipped from China. I listened to Jade's tightly wound tone spit into her phone as she tried to talk without getting angry. I knew that too long removed from her laptop and her ever persistent need to write was starting to wear on her. She was starting to snap at everyone and switched between nagging about everything and silently keeping to herself when she was at home. I tried to keep her mind off it by taking her out to see the gang and planning long trips or just plain distracting her using my own body but I knew there was only so much I could do. Tonight we laid together, naked but warm with our bodies pressed together. An unexpected whine from Jade made me look at her.

"I actually miss a stupid pile of plastic. Can you believe that?" she griped.

"It's not the object you miss, it's the writing," I pointed out, reaching over to run my hand through her tousled locks. She nuzzled my hand and closed her eyes.

"Writing is my thing, you know? I use it to wind down or relax or just to start typing and see what comes of it. It's my form of expression. I know it's also a part of my work and sometimes it's a drag but it keeps me balanced. I feel like I'm going through a freakin' withdrawal without it," she explained.

"I know," I said with a nod, repeatedly running my hand through her hair like she enjoyed, my other hand skimming over the soft skin of her back. She hummed her gratitude and curled up closer to me.

"You'll get it back soon Jade," I whispered to her. She didn't reply. Instead, she just sighed and I closed my eyes, willing myself to sleep.

...

I had to admit that without her daily ritual to write and consume endless amounts of coffee Jade was going crazy. She began to get restless and sleeping with her was no longer serene and comforting. She kept tossing and turning and didn't want to cuddle. She just pushed me away. Her irritation flared quickly and soon I was looking at a side of Jade I hadn't seen since High School days. I was starting to worry. Anyone who saw Jade now would question what was wrong with her as soon as she entered a room. She tried to keep her frustration from wearing thin, a feat I'm proud of her for accomplishing eighty percent of the time, but it was only a matter of time before she snapped. No matter what I tried to ease her anxiety it only helped for a short time before she was back to pacing.

Now it was 'oh, I can do that for you...if I had my laptop' or 'we can watch that movie without having to rent it...if I had my laptop' or just a plain 'I really want my freakin' laptop'. It's like she had forgotten she didn't have it until she needed it and it wasn't there. I was really starting to worry for her and I wasn't the only one. I had to get the ball rolling and get her laptop fixed so I asked Jade where I could find the guy and went to see what was taking so long myself. I ended up leaving with the faulty hardware after being told that it couldn't be fixed. After waiting that whole week I couldn't believe I left with the knowledge that the new piece hadn't even fixed the problem. The good news was that we didn't have to pay anything since he felt like he hadn't done anything worthy of pay. So I left and returned to relay the information to Jade who stared at me with a disconcerting blank expression.

"You, um, you ok?" I asked carefully, setting aside the laptop. Jade eyed the computer and her defined brows furrowed. She looked like she was seconds away from chucking it at the wall. She stood abruptly, deadly intent in her eyes, but I blocked her from making a terrible mistake.

"Jade, we can just buy a hard drive enclosure and transfer the data to a new computer. No biggie," I rushed to calm her.

"No biggie? Really?" she said under her breath. Her tone of voice made me wary and I shivered but held my ground.

"Y-yeah. Look, it's your birthday on Monday. We can go look around and I'll get it for you as a present along with anything else you might want," I continued with a shrug. In all this we both almost forgot about Jade's birthday. Her brows pulled down when I mentioned the day of her birth, closed her eyes, and held the bridge of her nose.

"Jade?" I inquired, reaching out to touch her shoulder. Her body was tense when I made contact.

"Do you know how upset, and restless, and tired, and so annoyingly frustrated I've been these past three weeks? It's like needing to find an outlet before I short circuit and explode only to realize that there is no outlet. I feel so tired Tori, but I'm a little relieved to finally move on with all this. Yes, I would love to go get a new computer this Monday," Jade confessed. I had been waiting for her to really explode but instead she deflated in a way I had never seen. It was a little depressing to experience.

"How about I make you some coffee and we can watch-" I suggested but she shook her head. She gripped my hand resting on her shoulder and looked me in the eyes. Since this whole fiasco Jade slowly began to block herself off. She didn't want to go out as often and even pulled away from me in preference to spending long hours alone to avoid blowing up on someone. It couldn't have been good for her, but now she was opening up again and I was quick to encourage it.

"Let's go out, just me and you. Tomorrow we can spend here, and then the next we can pick up the new computer," she explained.

"Ok. Sounds good. Will you be ok now?" I asked her, cupping her cheek gently. She smiled wanly but leaned in and pressed her lips to mine.

"I feel a little relieved actually," she mumbled against my lips. I smiled and kissed her once more before taking her by the hand.

"Dress up time?" she asked in a fake disgusted voice, but the small smirk on her face told me she was only teasing. It felt nice to see Jade teasing me again.

"Yep," I confirmed. She groaned and I laughed then tugged her to our room where I spent a long time decided on what to wear out while Jade commented as she got dressed. That day did wonders to ease Jade of all her irritations. It was a good end to the day. The next was even better. Jade managed to make fun of passerby's when we went out as well as poke fun at me again. She was playful as well as affectionate and I knew things would get better now. Monday came around and we went out to look for a new laptop. We found one at a good price along with a hard drive enclosure and then headed home to set it all up.

"What the hell is up with this new crap? Can't they just keep it simple? No, they have to make everything so fancy and high tech. See, this is why I prefer old stuff. It's just simpler," Jade complained as soon as she saw how the new computer layout worked. I just rolled my eyes and rubbed her back to keep her calm. Besides the annoyance with the new system Jade quickly found her way around it. Just getting the basics and adding all the data from the old drive took three hours but I was there with Jade every step of the way. Once she was that far and comfortable that all the files had made it to the new computer she shut it off and turned to me with a rare smile.

"Feel better?" I asked her.

"I would if I was able to write something but I have to wait until tomorrow to call in for the code to activate the program on here," she replied. I would have thought she would be unhappy but the smile persisted and she was looking at me in that special way that meant she was grateful to have me there with her.

"I'm sorry you can't," I responded, placing my hand over hers which rested on top of the closed laptop.

"It's ok. I have better things to do," she replied with the trademark smirk I missed seeing.

"Like?" I prompted. Jade's tongue ran over her teeth before she rolled her eyes and shrugged in a dramatically casual manner before fixing her intense gaze on me.

"Oh, nothing really besides thanking the one person who stuck with me through all this chiz and put up with my mood swings without complaint," she answered, leaning closer to me. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail but a lock of her bangs had come loose to fall across her cheek. The tank top she had put on along with a pair of sweats was now a distraction for my eyes as her cleavage was yet again on display. I forced my eyes to meet her currently smoldering gaze.

"Oh? And who is that?" I asked her, playing along with a confused crease in my brow yet I leaned in too.

"The bartender who gave me free drinks, who else?" she stated with a flippant shrug. I pulled back.

"Jade!" I exclaimed.

"Did I kill the mood?" she playfully questioned, standing to escape.

"Yes, you did. Now get over here and apologize," I demanded. She laughed and smirked heatedly at me over her shoulder.

"Maybe you should get over here and make me?" she suggested. I tried to hold back my smile but it still came through. I chased her into our room and chuckled when I finally caught her around the waist. I pulled her close and kissed her, both of us humming appreciatively.

"So tell me again, was it drinks and a pretty yet forgettable face or my loving attentiveness and unwavering loyalty waiting on you hand and foot?" I whispered just as playfully. She smiled and kissed my jaw then my neck before pressing a kiss to my lips.

"You know you're the only one who could ever put up with me and keep me sane enough all at the same time. Thank you," Jade told me. I grinned and hugged her tight.

"I'll always be there for you Jade," I replied simply.

"I love you," she said, her voice soft. I pulled back to look into her eyes when I replied.

"And I love you," I said, my smile growing stronger. Her hands gripped at my waist and mine slipped over her shoulders. We both pulled each other in for a long kiss. Before I knew it she had moved us onto the bed where I knew Jade would make good on what she said. She may not be the most nice person in the world but when it came to the bond we shared she meant every word she said whether it was bad or good. And I was there to show her she wasn't alone and accepted her for who she was. Right now I couldn't care less about the technical difficulties we had because Jade most certainly already had with the way she was making me feel. Time to shut off the thoughts and concentrate on the here and now. We had to make this night one that would effectively erase the stressful three weeks that had proceeded it and we were both happy to be doing so.

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**Fun fact, I wrote this as soon as I was able to, which was right after transferring all my files. It was actually one of the first things I did on my new laptop. I was dying to write but now I'm back. So much to do, but I'll get it all done eventually. Also, since all this happened right before Liz's bday, and by extension, Jade's bday, I missed the chance to write something for it so I put a tiny reference in there to it.**


End file.
